--- description: Redlands Police arrested a suspect on Thursday night in connection with the case of Dan and Stephanie Menard. title: Man Charged in Disappearance of Couple From Nudist Resort image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9be2e96933173cff/698a5a600116822cc09862db/missing-couple-california.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [California](/tag/california/) ## California Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # California Man Charged With Murder in Disappearance of Elderly Couple From California Nudist Resort  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 11:30 AM CUTPublished: Aug 28, 2024 8:18 PM CUT  Stephanie Menard, Daniel Menard Stephanie Menard, Daniel MenardRedlands Police Department  by [Rebecca Schneid](/author/rebecca-schneid/)  ## Rebecca Schneid Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Reporter Updated: Jan 19, 2026 11:30 AM CUTPublished: Aug 28, 2024 8:18 PM CUT A California man charged with the murder of husband and wife Dan and Stephanie Menard, who disappeared from the [Olive Dell Ranch](https://olivedell.com/ "undefined")—a "family-friendly nudist resort" in Southern California. Per an [update shared on the Redlands Police Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/RedlandsPoliceDepartment/posts/918509460319531 "undefined"): "Michael Royce Sparks, 62, was arrested for murder and booked at West Valley Detention Center." On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Sparks was charged with the murders. He is being held without bail and is due to appear in court Wednesday. Dan, 79, and Stephanie, 73, were reported missing by a friend on Aug. 25, and were last seen at their residence, located a few miles from San Bernardino and Riverside, around 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, according to the Redlands Police Department. Authorities had shared the urgency of finding the couple, noting that Dan suffers from dementia and is diabetic. The couple’s dog, Cuddles, a small white shih tzu, was also marked as missing.  Stephanie Menard Redlands Police Department  Daniel Menard Redlands Police Department The Redlands Police Department previously said the Menard's unlocked vehicle was located down the road from the couple’s home, and that Stephanie’s purse and both of their cell phones were located inside their residence. "There’s no way that Stephanie or Dan could have walked away from that car," a friend of the couple, Tammie Wilkerson, [told ABC News](https://abc7chicago.com/post/california-couple-dan-stephanie-menard-dog-go-missing-nudist-ranch-redlands/15238718/ "undefined") before the arrest was made. "She has a cane. It was at home, her purse, their cellphones—things they would never have left at home." TIME has reached out to the Redlands Police Department for further comment and information. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7015695/elderly-couple-missing-california-nudist-resort/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7015695/elderly-couple-missing-california-nudist-resort/"},"headline":"California Man Charged With Murder in Disappearance of Elderly Couple From California Nudist Resort","datePublished":"2024-08-28T20:18:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T11:30:55.000Z","description":"Redlands Police arrested a suspect on Thursday night in connection with the case of Dan and Stephanie Menard.","url":"https://time.com/7015695/elderly-couple-missing-california-nudist-resort/","keywords":["California","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9be2e96933173cff/698a5a600116822cc09862db/missing-couple-california.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rebecca Schneid","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/rebecca-schneid/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9be2e96933173cff/698a5a600116822cc09862db/missing-couple-california.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"missing-couple-california","caption":"Stephanie Menard, Daniel Menard","creditText":"Redlands Police Department","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/california/","name":"California"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7015695/elderly-couple-missing-california-nudist-resort/","name":"California Man Charged With Murder in Disappearance of Elderly Couple From California Nudist Resort"}}]}] ```